The irony is, despite those who embarrass themselves by saying the umpires are almost always right, the truth is, they not only miss the really close ones, but the obvious. That wasn't even close in live action, the ball was in the glove, and then the foot hit the bag. I saw it, the announcers saw it, everyone saw it except the guy who gets overpaid to see it, but will have a job for infinity regardless of how little effort he gives.

Ramirez runs bases at 75%, plan made for his return, Roenicke declines to make public.

I assume he'll run again tomorrow and be in the lineup Thursday or Friday. He might be limited to half games and/or nonconsecutive days for a bit, as he said he did not want to go to minor league rehab.

I would guess Davis will go down, leaving the speedy and versatile Prince up for a while...assuming Gonzalez is not to be DL'd.

Incredible. Many people have no idea Planned Parenthood is nothing more than an abortion factory.

I suppose it's easier to think of a community center type setting, with basketball courts, brochures about adoption, and posters that discuss birth control and abstinence (and personal responsibility). That said, no wonder people can't grasp the concept of free markets rather than playing video games and cashing a check every month.

The Brewers are hoping to acquire a corner infielder/outfielder in the mold of Mark Kotsay, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. In 2011, Kotsay played in 104 games for the Brewers at all three outfield spots as well as first base.

Davis and Prince need to play every day. A RH bat to complement Schafer and maybe pick up a start versus a tough LHP for Aoki would be a nice addition.

Got back from the vet. My 16 year old Bichon has kidney failure with no
hope. Started to put her down, then couldn't. Probably tomorrow.--Doyle Brunson

If you recall, Doyle just lost his elderly poodle a few months ago. This hits mighty close to home to me, as the Rambling dog is 17 and I have not seen a single dog reach that age, but several pass away in the past couple years.

I, of course, have expressed my apathy about the topic many times, as I do not care who Collins (or Broussard) sleeps with or doesn't sleep with, just so he doesn't do anything to harm my country or fellow countrymen..

Broussard is welcome to his views. Even those that do not feel that way will likely agree that none of us are without sin, so to be honest, it's a very weak insult, as far as I can tell.

The fallout will be very minimal, as I've predicted for years. He'll get some minor guest spots and maybe even some endorsements. Also, now that the first has come out, it'll be a parade the next couple years.

As for Collins, he'll be nearly anonymous as soon as a couple months from now.

I'm telling you, Tony Campana is a one tool guy, but his one tool is so good, he's good enough for a contender to carry in September, just like the Brewers did with Mel Stocker and the Red Sox did with Joey Gathright.

For a team like the Nationals, Braves, Tigers, or Rangers; teams that are heavy favorites to make the playoffs, I'd try to find a spot and make him the 25th man.

Tools like that, like Gomez's defense or the elusive Clemente arm (Francouer is probably as good as it gets today), are so off the charts, they are tough to value accordingly.

Every time they go to the dense rainforest in South America, they find dozens of species that they either thought were extinct, or they never knew existed. Somehow, they still manage to delay every piece of construction because some bug might be endangered.

Mike Fiers pitched 7 strong innings, only gave up a run in Nashville today. 0.82 ERA after two starts, though his BB/K numbers have been weak. He's either pitching better or getting luckier...or both. Good to see, we'll need an SP at some point.

Also, Gindl has his BA up to .194, was .133 a week or so ago. Looks like he's figured it out.

There are increasing whispers Jim Boylan will be relieved of his duties in the next couple of days.--Racine Journal Times

I'm not simple enough to think this Bucks team was good enough to win more than 42-44 games max, but given Jennings' effort was questioned for the first time after three plus of Skiles, and he never seemed to figure out how to get a three guard rotation going, despite Ellis playing stellar at the point. Interims have a tough road, and it doesn't take much to decide on "the field" rather than the one guy you have. Considering it sounds like there will be several playoff coaches let go as well, there's probably a dozen vets who would love to have the job.

The irony is, a defensive minded coach who doesn't mind working with youth...basically, Skiles II, is what I'd be looking for.

Gennett, Gindl, and Bianchi are the only position players on the 40 that are not on the 25 man roster. Bianchi is supposedly not 100% yet. I'd love to see Gennett up for a couple weeks, maybe play 2B once and PH the rest of the time. Gindl is off to his annual slow start, so he would be doubtful as well.

I would not expect them to put anyone on the 40 that they have to keep on the 40 (like a Hunter Morris type), but they do have some utility types, Stephen Parker and Blake Davis, who would be possibles, I s'pose. If they could somehow get him in the next day or two, Rockies' DFA Chris Nelson would be a nice fit.

Gonzalez has been playing on half a leg rather than the one I guessed.

Heck, he might need a DL stint to rest and rehab for a couple weeks when some more bodies get healthy.

We'll see if any moves are made tomorrow when they get home, as they hinted a meeting will take place. Green can go on the 60 day DL if a 40 man roster spot is needed temporarily as well. Guys like Prince and Davis, who have just been PR/PH, not only need playing time, but almost any minor league vets can do that job, which mostly involves sitting and rarely playing.

Brewers are 6th in runs scored in the NL thus far...you can see the casuals embarrass themselves daily, as their predictions of a paltry offense have failed to materialize.

We see it all the time, of course, people not understanding that even the best players are only worth 5-6 wins over 162, so most solid performers are only worth 2-3. Over the small sample of games played thus far (13.6%), a guy like Yuni can easily outperform what a guy like Ramirez would have done.

To be honest, given that COL and ARI are ahead of them, teams that play in the two most offensive environments in the league, you could easily make the assumption that the Crew is 4th of 15 NL teams scoring runs thus far.

99% of that Katrina "trouble" was either intentional deceit (like Andy Cooper is famous for) or just a bunch of whiners that expect someone to show up at their door and hand feed them filet mignon and lobster bisque a half hour after the storm subsides. Even Donna agrees, though she waited forever to make her feelings known for political reasons, because she's very polite and civil...and a hypocrite. Awful, disgusting people.

You're pretty much on your own for 2-3 days if you choose to ignore the warnings to leave, as the Red Cross won't even let their people in for 48 hours, for fear of power lines being down and the like. Sometimes, the mock outrage gets picked up, but the rubes aren't bright enough to pick up the false overtones.

This past Sandy experience, you did not hear too much, until a few who happened to be the last to have electricity restored were loud with their disgust...apparently, not understanding that someone has to be last, regardless.

Roenicke saying he's "not sure it's best" for guys like Davis and Prince to be sitting on the bench, may go down to get AB's.

One of them will almost certainly be sent down when Ramirez returns.Bianchi is "a ways away," and don't forget, he's out of options, so he'll probably remain at AAA until he is needed or his rehab time is up.

Russian authorities secretly recorded a telephone conversation in 2011 in which one of the Boston bombing suspects vaguely discussed jihad with his mother, officials said Saturday, days after the U.S. government finally
received details about the call.--AP

Not sure if this is the idiot who said they were framed or not, but they should start shooting and quit when they run out of bullets.

Not sure if Roenicke is trying to send a message or if he fails to understand risk/reward scenarios. Obviously, not all suicide squeeze plays will work, as the batters will miss some, or pop them up. Gomez isn't going to catch every fly ball he can get to either, although he catches the vast majority of them.

Since it seems likely the Bucks will be looking for a new coach in a couple days, here's a list of candidates for teh 76ers job...many have Bucks' connections, though the name that jumps out at me is Byron Scott, who is as respected as any assistant in the league.

I would prefer a defensive minded coach like Skiles, who no one thought was getting that much out of guys until Jennings (and others) were, at best, up and down in the effort department. Curry is a name I thought of right away, was Hammond in DET when he was there?

I would have ran that graph nonstop. I don't know if it would have mattered or not, but when he stands there with a straight face and says he's cut billions from the deficit (all fake, all several years down the line), at least people would go, "Um, no he hasn't."

It ain't a revenue problem. History will look at that and go, what the hell? Didn't they understand simple math? I'll be forced to respond that yes we do, but sadly, we were labeled racist for bringing it up.

Heck, I'm pro choice (with conditions), and I don't mind it a bit. Planned Parenthood is a taxpayer funded abortion factory. They could easily be funded privately and could also, trust me, actually do more than refer folks to abortion clinics. They choose not to.

The policy overlaps because Obama hasn't had time to screw up everything...yet.

I still find his Gitmo idea...let's just let them loose in Europe/Asia to be the most dunderheaded...it wasn't until allies said, "Um, are you insane?" was he forced to, you know, keep terrorists in prison.

By the way, that must be one heckuva hunger strike they're on down there...I think most of the gutless wonders have probably gained weight.

Note to terrorists...it ain't a hunger strike just from saying it is. Try, you know, not eating a while. Not everyone is as gullible as the old media.

Roenicke said Emmel blew the call because Maldonado’s back foot was
still in the box, which replays confirmed. The rules state that it's
batter's interference only if the hitter is completely out of the box.

“To end the game, you better know darn well that he’s out of the
box,” said Roenicke, already no fan of that umpiring crew after being
ejected the previous evening. “You could see the ball hit (Maldonado’s)
shoulder. He was definitely not out of the box."--JS

The punishment for blowing call after call? Huge paychecks and outstanding benefits.
Hard to believe it doesn't magically improve with those incentives, huh?

I think they'll be in that Northwestern/Rutgers (they don't move to the Big Ten until '14) area, with Nebraska and Penn State improving. I keep hearing Minnesota has several top 100 recruits in high school now, but I also know top 100 recruits will have offers from all over the country, and it will be difficult getting them to stay home with an ancient facility, no modern practice facility, and not a whole lot of recent winning tradition.

EDIT: Of course, maybe Richard Pitino is the second coming of his dad. That we don't know until he gets recruiting.

I'm not sure I like the practices move, as the season lasts 5-6 months now. As Bo points out, defenses are advanced and that's become the side of the game to focus on, so I don't see points going up from that. AS Stve Alford points out, that's five less seconds to work for a shot versus a tough D.

Clinton lied under oath (apparently, a family tradition), the White House lied...yeah, I feel more secure every day.

Look, I knew it was a disaster, because it went so badly that Obama and Clinton had to go on 60 Minutes and answer softballs lobbed at them by a partisan hack to save face. Just how bad it was is being proven by how hard they are trying to ignore this deception ever happened.

We had people in Wausau that got away with this, and it's pathetic. Religion is not a substitute for common sense. And, while we're on the subject, might want to pick up some of that common sense while you're out and about.

I just realized Braun is making $11M this year ($8.5M base+$2.5M signing bonus paid 4/1/13)...if he would have went year to year, what would he have received in his final season of arby...$20M minimum, and $25M is not unlikely.

That deal may end up being the most team friendly extension of all time.

That's 19 2/3 IP in the past seven games for the Astros' starting pitchers.--Rosenthal

Somewhere, there are geeks that don't understand math insisting HOU should go with a six man bullpen...if not five.
Luhnow is a stat minded GM, he might want to consider my pitching staff made up of middle relievers idea, in which no one goes more than 2-3 innings.

Maybe I'm just a tough guy, but I wouldn't think Lohse would have to miss any time, though he may not be able to swing the bat. I mean, tape the fingers together, cut out the glove, and you're all set.

Here's the scoop...Obama lies...a lot. And when it comes to saying he is not going to spend more and tax more, every single word he has ever spoken is a lie. Because, to be blunt, he is the tax and spend president. We are nothing but rubes with open wallets.

Jeff is out of options, so I assume the Crew will not hurry him back to MIL, as this will be their only chance to get him minor league AB's, barring another DL visit. Even with Ramirez and Hart out, they are not really in need of him, though I guessed he could take Davis' spot (that's the 5th OF/PH 1-2x a week spot).

All he does is hit. I've had him the top two MIL prospects for years, while others don't have him in the top ten. They struggle to see the long term, and get caught up in the minute breezes while ignoring the gale force winds of smacking the ball hard, year after year.

Go back to last Saturday night/Sunday morning on a Brewers' message board. Read some of the postings.

You're welcome.

Some people do not understand small samples. Some people are idiots.

Worse, some idiots do not understand small samples.

I try not to make any assumptions until forty games have been played. That's still a tiny sample, as it's only 25% of the season, but, it is enough so that a bloop hit here and there probably have evened out and have a minimal effect on stats.

Question to my readers, and you know I don't usually ask for much...unless, of course, I do.

Anyone know who to contact if you have a sick child who wants to meet a Brewers' player(s)? I'm sure the team would be happy to do something, but they can't even find a switchboard number, never mind who to ask for. Shoot me an email at the link on the right sidebar if you have any info.

Sveum sounds like he may not be the right man for the job. We all knew they were 2-3 years away from contention, and that was no surprise to anyone, after all, Dale was given a three year contract, unheard of for a rookie manager. Castro is not a strong defender, but is an outstanding hitter and is still very young.

They need a teacher and a cheerleader. The irony here is, of course, Dale was a well below average defensive SS himself. As often is the case, guys were a lot better when they get older.

Once again, this is why Yost deserves so many kudos for taking his lumps and letting guys play, being positive every day. Weeks was terrible in the field when he was young. They need to play to improve.

The funny thing to me is, there are dozens of high protein, low carb plans out there...Arkins, South Beach, caveman, paleo, and so on. And the US government, knee deep in cash from food manufacturers and cutting checks everyday for grain subsidies, disagrees with every single one of them.

The casuals lack of understanding how a bullpen is pieced together every day is often quite comical. Tomorrow, for example, Badenhop, Gonzalez, and Kintzler will all either be unavailable, or emergency use only. That leaves Henderson, Axford, Gorzelanny, and Figaro.Those who wish for a six man bullpen either don't pay much attention, or expect their SP's to go 7 every day.

So, despite Ron's reluctance to use Axford in high leverage spots, as has been the case for weeks, there's a good chance he'll have to go an inning, regardless of the score. The fact so many will be puzzled by this and then proudly proclaim their ignorance of simple math, is mindnumbing, even though we see it almost every day.

One could easily argue they should send Burgos down and bring up a reliever for nine days, until the 5th starter is once again needed on 4/30. Hiram would not be eligible, barring injury, but Fiers or Thornburg would, and that extra arm would provide nice depth. Davis is barely playing for that matter, you could swap him out for a pitcher, for that matter.

Roster moves are upcoming...sounds like Ramirez is hoping to return on the next homestand, and Bianchi is also close (being RH and able to play catch a fly ball in LF, I would assume he would take Davis' spot).

Note how much better the rotation has been during the winning streak. And as goes the SP's, the relief pitching has settled into their roles...rested and performing solidly, if unspectacularly.

Most of the wins have come at home, and HR's have played a major part in the offense. Doug has always built his teams for Miller Park, and it isn't just luck they usually play well there. Take advantage of where you play 81 times.

Burgos is the first Brewers' SP to win his major league debut since Gallardo in 2007.

I hope he has as much success in the future. I tell you what, rarely have I been so accurate in comparing Burgos to Fiers. 89-91 fastball, moves the ball, locates well, throws strikes. Never going to be an ace, but he could have a long career.

As I've said before, I'm anti torture, but I'm pro discomfort. When you proudly set down an explosive device next to a throng of eight year olds on American soil, you ain't going to draw any sympathy from me if your water is warm or your bread ain't gluten free. I'd make no effort to hide the fact I wish he was dead.

We had a training session at the office yesterday, and a health insurer discussed Obamacare and what they predict will happen. Allow me to summarize:

1. Rates will skyrocket, because "no one wants to be the company stuck with all the sick people." You have to take everyone, but you can rate them up...and they will not hesitate to do so.

2. Lots of doubts whether it will be ready to go by 1/1/14. Seen as impossible by most because "no one even knows what it covers yet."

3. Most companies looking to have several plans...some in the exchanges, some not. The ones that are not will be dirt cheap in comparison, because you'll have to qualify for them. The others will effectively be just for those who can't get anything else.

4. Lots of money and time already spent, and will continue to be, on stuff that never went into effect. The burden has forced many out of the health market. Those that remain are raising costs on all products because of this. So if you wonder why it seems auto insurance and crop insurance is higher...because it probably is.

Unintended consequences seem to be the one constant. You haven't much banter of late how it's going to be cover everyone for less, have you?

If one was cynical, it'd be easy to come to the conclusion that much of the information said about it when it was passed was not true...and they knew it wasn't true.

Right-hander Mark Rogers breezed through an 11-pitch inning in an
extended spring game Thursday and will pitch again Saturday. If that
goes well, Rogers will begin a 30-day rehab assignment at Double-A
Huntsville on Tuesday, Ash said. The former first-round Draft pick is on
the DL trying to reclaim his lost velocity.--Adam, MLB.com
Remember, Rogers does not have any options, so he's on the 25 man roster as soon as he's healthy, and there's no way he gets through waivers.

Axford looks like a different pitcher. Schroeder said he appears to be standing up straighter. I think his release point was a lot different, as the Rockies said they knew what pitch was coming based on where he was letting it go. Tonight, no one had a clue, as they were often well ahead or way behind, obviously guessing wrong.

The Milwaukee Bucks have told NBA Commissioner David Stern that the
franchise will have a plan that includes a new arena when the team's
lease at the BMO Harris Bradley Center expires on Sept. 30, 2017.Stern made that clear on Friday in a teleconference with reporters in advance of the NBA's playoff season.Asked if the NBA had imposed a hard deadline of 2017 to have a new
arena in place in Milwaukee, Stern said: "The Bucks came to us and said
we will have a plan that will have a new arena at the end of this
extension of this lease. 'And will you please give us an extension and
approve it?' And we did. That's the current state of the record."

The lease extension, reached last fall, is the longest lease between
the arena and the franchise in more than 10 years and the first
multi-year extension since 2007.

But what was not entirely clear was whether the lease extension constituted a deadline of sorts for the Bucks.

Former senator Herb Kohl was not available for comment. Ron Walter,
the Bucks' vice president and alternate governor, was not immediately
available for comment. Walter was in New York for a meeting of the
league's Board of Governors.

Nearly a year ago, Kohl said it was time for a new multipurpose arena
in Milwaukee and said he was willing to make a personal financial
commitment toward a new facility. He did not say how much, but added
that the amount would not be insignificant.--JS

Sure sounds like Kohl intends on building an arena before selling the team, I would guess he'll get as much help as he can from the city/county/state and then just use his personal fortune...hoping he gets much of it back in the selling price.

Kohl said in May last year that the Bucks were talking about "plans to get it done."

Having to stand in front of media & say 19 yo got away on foot? If
police dramas I've watched on TV are right that's gonna be one PO'd
chief.--Tim Miller

I love cop shows, and I don't think I've ever seen a criminal take part in a gun fight and then escape on foot. I suppose in the dark, it's not that difficult to imagine, but, you would think the odds of that are just tiny.

Both excellent articles. They have misread their majority, which is very slim, and nonexistent on something like gun control, as plenty of Dems own guns and are not as quick to cast aside history in favor of utopian rantings.

52% of the popular vote, is, at best, a small majority. Also, do not forget how small the turnout was, and I have yet to see a logical explanation why. The old media is selling the fact it was a huge win, but historically, it was not.

The funny thing is, if they talk enough, eventually, they make a mistake and the truth slips out.

Let's not forget, more Americans died in Bengazi than in Boston. Never forget Ms. Clinton's response, when pressed about the dead, after stalling and being convienently unavailable for months "on vacation" and "for health reasons" was:

What difference...does it make?

I recall W's response on the evening of 9/11. Took Hillary over a hundred days to piece that embarrassment together. Good job.

It might be because my positions are not emotional, or change with the wind. They are consistent with mt beliefs; freedom, capitalism, and that wrinkled up Constitution that so many are willing to look the other way as they trample.

Some folks upset I pointed out the fact Boston fans did not have the gumption to sing until prodded on. Of course, no one argued this fact, because it's undeniable.The truth may hurt, but it will set you free.

By the way, if you feel strongly about your opinion, you might want to purchase the guts to, I don't know, use your real name. Cowards are nothing if not predictable. The idea of having your feelings hurt by voluntarily checking out a blog which does not espouse your "gimme, gimme, gimme" political mindset...as sad as your inability to piece together your thoughts without name calling. Bullies never grow up, they just move on to email.

I wish I did not feel sorry for those blessed enough to have won the geographic lottery, but spend all their time pining for Lenin's return. It's a shame some choose to wallow in self created misery. Luckily, I know that I can't control the fact the left lacks in politeness and civility; which explains their ruse of insisting they are superior in such areas. They are not only the people that do not race to the scene of the emergency, they trip others as they do, and then mock them for falling down.

You wouldn't think any insurance company would touch that plant unless they literally had an in house fire department.That fire blazed and eventually, something exploded. That town will never be the same, and as I said earlier, because of its location, it won't get a fraction of the play.

It takes more than 25 players to contend, as it is pretty unlikely Lalli is still around when the Crew gets healthy. Hopefully, tonight and the opportunity to be called up in September (and Doug is well known for giving veterans a chance to play in the bigs if another team would want him in the bigs) is enough to convince Blake to eventually go to Nashville and be a part of the organization where he got his first hit.

He's a nice piece to the puzzle, a 3rd catcher who can hit lefty and play 1B. He's not much more than AAA/September fodder, but teams need a guy like that. He took a low and outside pitch and drove it to the warning track...that's not an easy task.

Very disappointed no one is reporting the Boston crowd barely sung at all, until urged on by the anthem singer. Then, and only then, did they give enough of a damn to show that, yeah, we're kind of patriotic.

Said the man who voted "present" numerous times, voted against raising the debt ceiling, straight out lied about the sequester for weeks until caught doing so, and said running a deficit was unpatriotic.
Get back to me when he has a single idea that doesn't take away freedoms and cash from the American people.

KRod gets $2M prorated if he makes the bigs. No mention of an opt out date, though I would guess there is either one in place or they have a handshake deal with Doug, if a team wants him on their 25 man, they have to trade him or call him up.

Yep. There are thousands of laws on the books, and the idea one more will do anything is ludicrous.

Note how silent everyone is about "bomb control" after Boston. Making explosives is already illegal...just like murder is. The difference? No one uses explosives in everyday life, and hence, no control to be gained.

Despite a NL-worst 5.12 ERA, Brewers' pitching has issued just 30 walks over its first 12 games, fewest in the Major Leagues.--Brewers PR

Excellent sign going forward, as free baserunners allowed always lead to more runs...hey, it's just math. Limit walks and HR's, and you're in great shape...playing in Miller Park though, it's far easier to start with BB's.

Mike struggled late last year, and many of us hoped it was fatigue or bad luck, as he had a very high BAA the final month of last season.

No one wants to say it, but if Fiers and Rogers don't look so bad in March, Kyle Lohse is probably not signed.

I have wondered several times if Thornburg will make it as a SP, as sub 6 foot RH's rarely do, and the list of those who rely on velocity is especially short. Burgos is actually a lot like Fiers, relying on deception and control, who

Santo Manzanillo, a young pitcher who may well be #40 on the 40 man roster, pitched three innings in AAA tonight, hitting 98 on the gun several times, per in house reports. His K's have been way down after an injury filled 2012, but his velocity seems to have returned.

Peralta showing how inconsistent young pitching is. We all knew that was especially the case with him, as he was horrible in AAA the first half of last year before finding his groove. Luckily, the bullpen is rested after the day off. Wily should be able to go 5 frames just throwing his fastball, and moving it up/down and on both sides of the plate.

Gord Ash talks about how the 40 man roster being full has hampered their ability to make moves. I have mentioned this numerous times, but I appear to be the only one, as no one else chooses to understand it.

When the government takes from one man to bestow on another, it diminishes the incentive of the first, the integrity of the second, and the moral autonomy of both.-- The Sharon Statement

We've had fiftyplus years since this written, and sadly, despite a plethora of proof otherwise, many fail to see the obvious truth.
We lost the war on poverty. Turns out, giving people money doesn't fix it.

I'd be crushed if Sacramento loses their team, as they don't deserve to, nor does Seattle not deserve another opportunity after kicking the Sonics out of town by pretending their ancient arena was "good enough."

My hometown theaters have been raising money for the digital conversion for a long time. What it comes down to is simple...the profit margin is so slight, it's often a labor of love or a labor of breaking even.

Heck, if you're successful enough to pay yourself, many businesses just hope to break even.

It never fails to amaze me how many emails I get after a casual mention I wasn't feeling well yesterday. I woke up at 3:30AM and went to bed early as well, around 10PM. I barely ate anything, and only had a couple bottles of G2 all day. I had a constant pain in my stomach all day, and woke up feeling weak and at best, half strength. However, I had a 9:30 appointment this morning, and unless I might make other people ill, I do whatever I can not to miss one.

Sure enough, after that, I stopped at Target to pick up some fresh rolls for dinner (turns out I did not need to, as I forgot the Rambling son has a 4H bowling party tonight), and now, I'm about 80%, and probably will be close to 100% after my afternoon nap.

One thought I thought about last night, a couple summers ago, I had an ulcer, and then was hit with lyme disease a week later. I was uncomfortable, in mild pain, and fatigued for a month or more. It brought back memories of that, and also the fact that, you know what, some people feel like this all the time. I tell my clients all the time, we don't get healthier as we get older.

Thank you for the well wishes. I keep getting queries about the Rambling dog too, who I discussed a while back as drinking water all the time and not acting himself. Well, I don't know, to be honest. He still seems like he overdrinks at times, but, other than waking up as soon as it gets light and insisting it's time to eat (it was 6:30 a while ago, and is now 5:45) and go outside, he's pretty much normal, a very tired, but very loving and loyal 17 year old cocker spaniel. He's suffering from some minor dementia (has been for a while), and in his world, when you sleep all day, 5:45 isn't early at all.:) I just shudder to think that come the end of June, he might be getting up at 4:30.

The Chew opens the show by sending well wishes to those affected by the terrorist attack in Boston. Jerry Bader mentioned this morning that the administration refuses to use the word "terrorist attack" no matter how obvious it is. He also discussed the Fort Hood shooting, which Obama called "workplace violence" in one of those eye rolling moments they've become synonymous with.

Also of note, the lovely Daphne Oz (who is so attractive, I'll plug her new book for free, as much as that hurts me to do) always gets teased because her favorite casual dining restaurant is Hooters. While one of her cohosts tried to feign outrage because, egads, the wait staff is made up of beautiful women in mildly risque attire, it was laughed off, because, people vote with their wallet everyday.

I said this back when Albert was with the Cards. He was barely trotting around the bases then, and struggled to field anything but balls hit right at him. Add this to the fact he's probably older than what he's listed at, odds are, the last few years of that contract will be painful.

Yo had an issue a few years ago in which he was somehow attacked late at night, the specifics are hazy for me right now. It was said then by many, including myself, that he should know better than to be out at 2AM or whenever it was. That old saying, nothing good ever happens after midnight, should be repeated several times a day.

Ramblings' contributor Robert said a few years ago it's astounding things like this don't happen more often, as young pro athletes have big money, plenty of free time, and a sense of invincibility. Luckily, Yo didn't hurt himself or anyone else; and hopefully, will make better decisions in the future.

All of the Gophers' recruiting class Tubby Smith has commitments from, four top players (including Alex Foster, who the Badgers' lost out on), have decommitted, leaving MIN with eight players on scholarship as of today.

Now, they might be able to get some uncommitteds...but we all know 97% of the top 1000 have already made a choice and would be tough to sway at this point. Junior college guys, maybe a transfer or two (might have to sit out a year), maybe some guys who struggled to qualify academically...but at this late date, it's an uphill battle.

I'm tellin' ya, it looks like Glen Mason (damn, another 8 win season and bowl game) all over again, just substitute 20 wins and a NCAA berth.

It's like they want they expect the head cheerleader to be able to cook too...never happy with what they have.

EDIT: Scott emails to say the Gophers are losing four seniors but had only signed two. I misread.

Remember when Obama said adding to the national debt was unpatriotic? He
has since added $6,181,190,055,230.98. That’s $19,580 per citizen.--Ken Gardner

Too bad that was only a flavor of the month talking point for a couple days. And yes, he's added 60% to the debt in just over four years, even though one war ended and the other is being ignored for politics.

1. He's doing a heckuva job. Maybe we should make him king.

2. This despite the consistent raising of taxes. It's almost like that doesn't really work.

The best way to describe the weather in the Wausau area...it's like living in a snow globe.

I shoveled off the deck yesterday afternoon, and I think it's got about 4-6 inches on it right now. There have been some flakes that are as big as snowballs, and might just knock someone down if it hit them on the head.

The Rambling son and I did not have a new Shark Tank to enjoy on the DVR, so we watched the part one of The Bible...I was disappointed, as it seemed cheesy and slow movng to me...the Red Sea special effects were as lame as the often mocked Ten Commandments...heck, the Rambling son might have dozed off after 90 minutes or so, though he'd never admit it, even under oath.

I'm very surprised it did as well as it did. It needed an editor, and sure could have used a sight gag or some slight injection of humor...it was as dry as day old toast.

I'd rather see the Crew at 8-2 than 2-8, but as I have pointed out before as well, the offense is 10th (of 15) while the run prevention (pitching and defense) is 13th, but, we continually keep hearing from the casuals about the offense. Sometimes, you just run into a good pitcher, or a hot pitcher. When you do, you need some good fortune to score a few runs...a blooper or two, ground balls that find the hole, and maybe a mistake or two, be it an error, or a hanging curve. If you don't get that, it's going to be tough to succeed.

The good news is, the bullpen troubles seem to be minimized with some rest, as they have pitched pretty well of late, and Lohse and Yo had nice starts, Gallardo not so much the victim of a gunshot but some butter knife wounds (no pitcher was hurt in the above analogy; please, please, pardon the reference to weaponry protected by that dusty old rag that built the greatest nation on the history of the planet that many would toss out because the current administration is just so damn brilliant as to render it meaningless, but hence, I digress) of infield hits, leaning over the plate to take a HBP, and some misplays.

Even Gonzalez, who I'm not sure has given up a hard hit ball yet, got through his guys today. Michael has been overworked early, but casuals don't notice that, just think it's coincidence they start getting better when the SP's go deeper (funny how that works).

I mean people can say what
they like, but a street party? I thought that was a bit much. But I
mean, you know, she is certainly a polarizing figure in English
domestic policy. But she did make her mark. There's no question about
that. And because she was around for so long, people from other
countries, when a statesman, if you want to call her that, a
stateswoman, people rather like them being around for a long time. They
don’t have to learn the new name, know what I mean? It's sort of
familiar: She's there, and she stands for this. We know who she is. So I
think people rather like that. They don’t have to deal with the
Thatcher domestic policies.And then she was
obviously a great ally of Reagan and their financial policies were
somewhat similar and all that sort of thing. And the big thing was the
fall of the Soviet Union and the satellite states of Eastern Europe, and
that was the big event of the Reagan-Thatcher era. And she was a good
ally for the U.S. in that particular end of game, the end game of the
Soviet Union, which was a huge historical event not to be
underestimated. It was a kind of end game of what had started in 1917,
really. A massive undertaking, something the United States and Western
Europe were really fighting against from 1917 onwards in a really
serious war, despite the twists and turns of the relationship.--Mick Jagger on ThatcherEven Mick hesitates to say a negative word, as would anyone with an ounce of common sense. There are two types of people in the world...free market capitalists and people that disliked Maggie. The irony is, why do they hesitate to call themselves socialists? Be loud and proud, or shut the hell up. Don't privately launder money for the left for political favors, and then act offended when someone says you're laundering union dues for the left for political favors.

Women's pro soccer league debuts tonight with sold out crowd in Kansas City, 6700+.

Baby steps. The Portland franchise has sold over 7K season tickets, and are the outlier thus far. I always root for women's sports to be successful since I feel it's great for young girls to have healthy, athletic women as their role models.

This makes sense, since it's cooler than it was in the 70's and 80's. That's why they changed the name. You'd think the old media would keep a spiral notebook to keep their fictional terms for fictional crisis straight.

I still blame the Industrial Revolution for the Ice Age. The fact it was centuries after the fact is just a historical rounding error.

I still think it says a lot about their thought process that they don't even think about repealing it, they just want to ignore it, or legislate it away from the bench.

Doing it the right way? Too tough.

4/13/2013 03:49:00 PM

These are the good old days. Some folks are just too busy wishing the streets were paved with gold to enjoy the good times.

Whatever strikes me as
interesting, and serious Milwaukee Brewers thoughts. If you are a believer
in respecting OBP, throwing strikes, and keeping the ball in the park,
you may have found the place you've been searching for. I believe in low taxes, small government, and am not afraid to be labeled patriotic. If you are interested in sausage race results, walk up music, or professional wrestling, you may wish to click elsewhere.

I'm happy to pay taxes to help the helpless. I don't like paying taxes to help the clueless. Look at the Occupy movement...I'm forced to pay taxes to help those whose plight I delight in.--Dennis Miller

If you choose the path of terror, your life will be empty, and your life will be brief.--President Trump

Never have lives less lived been more chronicled.--Dennis Miller

I’m going to plead with you, do not cross us. Because if you do, the survivors will write about what we do here for 10,000 years.--Mad Dog Mattis

I have never understood why it is "greed" to want to keep the money you have earned but not greed to want to take somebody else's money.--Thomas Sowell